Bourdain

Synopsis

'This unique oral history builds to a comprehensive portrait and an important biography' Observer 'Reveals a vulnerable side to the man and adds remarkable depth to his onscreen persona' Financial Times When Anthony Bourdain died in June 2018, fans around the globe came together to celebrate the life of an inimitable man who had dedicated his life to traveling nearly everywhere (and eating nearly everything), shedding light on the lives and stories of others. His impact was outsized and his legacy has only grown since his death. Now, for the first time, we have been granted a look into Bourdain's life through the stories and recollections of his closest friends and colleagues. Laurie Woolever, Bourdain's longtime assistant and confidante, interviewed nearly a hundred of the people who shared Tony's orbit-from members of his kitchen crews to his writing, publishing, and television partners, to his daughter and his closest friends - in order to piece together a remarkably full, vivid, and nuanced vision of Tony's life and work. From his childhood and teenage days, to his early years in New York, through the genesis of his game-changing memoir Kitchen Confidential to his emergence as a writing and television personality, and in the words of friends and colleagues including Eric Ripert, José Andrés, Nigella Lawson, and W. Kamau Bell, as well as family members including his brother and his late mother, we see the many sides of Tony - his motivations, his ambivalence, his vulnerability, his blind spots, and his brilliance. Unparalleled in scope and deeply intimate in its execution, with a treasure trove of photos from Tony's life, Bourdain: In Stories is a definitive testament to the life of a remarkable man in the words of the people who shared his world.

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Summary

Chapter 1: “Family Matters”

In this chapter, Anthony Bourdain discusses his upbringing and the experiences that shaped his relationships with family, food and travel. He begins by giving a brief overview of his upbringing, noting his parents’ divorce and his reminiscences of shared meals, holidays, and conventions from his home in New York City. He reflects on his mother and grandmother’s cooking and his father’s experiences as a traveling salesman, which ultimately gave him the impetus to explore the world. He recounts his exploration of home in NYC, and how it both nurtured his curiosity and shaped his early opinions about food.

Chapter 2: “Meals at Home”

Bourdain shares memories of holiday meals, from Thanksgiving with his grandma to Christmas dinner with his mom. He talks about how these meals influenced his own cooking and how home cooking can create a sense of comfort. He outlines how his travels to Paris inspired him to open a restaurant of his own, and uses an example of his own experience in a French bistro to discuss the importance of presentation and atmosphere. He also takes a look at the variety of ingredients and cuisines available to Americans, noting that many families combine the best of different cultures and techniques.

Chapter 3: “Eating Out”

Bourdain details the thrill of trying unfamiliar tastes and dishes from different cultures, and how the experience of eating out can surpass that of a home-cooked meal. He examines the differences between traditional American restaurants and more adventurous ones, as well as the different methods restaurants use to attract customers. He adds his own perspective on the different regional cuisines he’s visited and sampled around the world, with examples such as the Southern cuisine in Charleston and the traditional Japanese cuisine he sampled in Tokyo.

Chapter 4: “Discovering the World”

In this chapter, Bourdain talks about the impact of his travels on his experiences with food. He describes his travels around the world, noting his visits to Spain, Japan, and India. He talks about discovering new flavors and ingredients around the world, and how he used the knowledge he gained to enhance his own recipes. He also examines how cultures that had been closed off from outside influences began to open up to a wider variety of flavors and cuisines, with an emphasis on local ingredients.

Chapter 5: “A New Way of Cooking”

Bourdain looks at the impact of globalization on the food industry, noting the proliferation of fusion dishes and multicultural flavors. He also discusses the changes he’s seen in the restaurant industry, such as the emergence of more casual dining concepts and the indoctrination of technology, such as pay-at-the-table options. He emphasizes the importance of sustainability and locally sourced ingredients, and his mission to use his platform to advocate for and support responsible culinary practices. Throughout the chapter, he provides examples of food trends he’s experienced around the world and the effects of those trends on different regions.